Moveable Feasts | Culinary Agenda 24.10.2019

Moveable Feasts is a weekly agenda in which we give you the low-down on this week’s food fairs, workshops, and pop-ups in Buenos Aires

As we all know, Halloween is next week, but here in Argentina we decided to get spooky one week earlier by way of the presidential elections (HA! Fake laugh, hiding real pain!). Worry not, dear reader, because this will not stop me in my profound desire to shower you with food options, even if they are alcohol free between the hours of late Saturday night and all of Sunday. Also, since we’re on the subject, friendly PSA: you won’t be able to buy any of the happy juice between 00 am and 9 pm on Sunday, so get that alcohol while it’s nice and available and drink in the name of the inflation, which is the only certain outcome regardless of who wins the election. A bit too grim for your taste? Eh, you may be right. Let’s leave this dark talk behind and focus on what really matters:

THU 24.10

What better way to keep your mind off the certain dollar rise than a chocolate tasting? The Alianza Francesa (or “L’aliance,” if you wanna pretend to be French-n-fancy) is celebrating El Cine Cocina, a movie and food festival where today, they’ll be screening “El sentido del cacao” followed by a chocolate tasting to dazzle your tastebuds. (Sure, watching a movie and eating chocolate here is “fancy and cultured” and when I do it alone at home, I’m “lonely and should get out more” #doublestandard). In any case, take this chance to stuff your face with chocolate in the name of art, but don’t forget to book your spot as space is limited!

BA proclaims itself to have the best pizza in the world, but let’s be honest: so do many other places. While I will not get into the clusterfuck that is defending my stances on pizza (but if that floats your boat, you might wanna check someone with more authority like our resident food writer), I will say this: I have eaten pizza here. I have eaten pizza in Italy. I have eaten pizza in New York. Conclusion: I have eaten pizza and pizza is great in general. With this in mind, join the mind behind Hell’s Pizza + the true masters from APPYCE for a masterclass on both NY and BA style pizza at the Mercado de San Nicolás. Will you change your mind about which one’s better? Probably not. Will you eat pizza and thus, will making your way there be worth it? You betcha.

Wanna go full porteño? Join Bar Notable Café San Bernardo for a couple’s truco tournament. Do I mean “couple” as in romantic partner with whom you’re planning a life together, cat-shaped-children included? No, of course I don’t. Choosing your truco partner requires a much more careful selection than what we apply to choosing the person you’ll spend your life with, d’uh. The right partner will save you when your cards suck, will direct you when you’re feeling lost, and will be able to read the signals you’re telling them across the table without showing any sign of a tell. Ah, yes, a well-played hand of truco is a thing of beauty, and at AR$120 per person (with either a Coke or a beer included), you can’t get cheaper entertainment than this.

FRI 25.10

When I was 16 and tasted my first drop of alcohol, I really wished that it would taste better: wine was too bitter, beer tasted like crap, and clear liquors tasted like bad decisions. All these paled in comparison to fernet, which at the time, tasted like sore throat medicine (and it still does – I will die on this hill). Problem was, fernet con coca was the cool people’s drink, and in addition to being a dancing queen, I definitely wanted to be cool. Fast forward 12 years later, I feel like history is repeating itself, but with another drink I long to love only to have my taste buds not collaborate: whiskey. Is perhaps this whiskey tasting the chance I’ve been looking for? Find me at Whiskey en Buenos Aires – I’ll be the one pretending to find “wooden undertones” while loosing sensitivity in my tongue, one tastebud at a time.

In Rebelión’s own words, join them today only if you’re ready to PAR-TAY! Make your way to the Palermo classic and get ready to say “I love what you’ve done with the place!” as you join them for food, music and art – so, essentially, all that’s good in life. Their re-inauguration will include delicious food options and a brand new look, so be sure not to miss it!

SAT 26.10

Oh, how I long for simpler times, where I could spend an entire day dedicated to crafting a meal without having to worry about going to work, studying, doing both, or neither, but feeling guilty about it! In my fantasy, this meal would quite often be pasta – cold and in salads, warm with vegetables, or deliciously seasoned with a myriad of sauces; pasta is always a good choice. In my reality, however, pasta is more often than not (and by that, I mean always) bought at the supermarket, and to be fully honest, it’s not even a name brand. It’s time we do pasta justice, and what better place to do so than with the help of Cocina Escondida? Sign up for the cooking class here and make sure to take as many mental notes you can about the secrets that lie behind the Italian pasta.

Do you remember enough of the 90s to remember VHS, actual CDs you put in your discman, and playing Pokemon on a Gameboy Color? Are astrology, energy stones, and tarot cards the kind of stuff you’re currently into? Are you filled with existential dread about late capitalism? Congratulations, here’s your millennial card! However, before you get to take it home, there’s one more obsession you need to embrace: all things coffee. Naturally, this means *real* coffee, fancy machine and all, and with it, all that is milk, vapor, and foam – and Barrio Cafetero has just the ticket. Join them for their Barista Masterclass and discover the secrets that lie behind cleaning and caring for a coffee machine, the art involved in handling milk and crafting the perfect latter, and the literal heaven that can be found in the classic espresso. Sign up via DM’s!

Would this really be a complete edition of Moveable Feasts if we didn’t tell you where Masa was this week doing that thing he does that makes us leap with joy? Here’s a plan – let’s never find out, and join me in discovering once again why taco’s are God’s gift to this world when they come from MASA’s hands straight to our gluttonous stomachs. If you want to check out what the menu will be like, feel free to do so here, or if you’re feeling adventurous, go in blind and let yourself be surprised. As always, MASA may promise greatness, but that’s only because they always deliver, gordi.

SUN 27.10

The day of the presidential election has come, and regardless of the outcome at this point being pretty much a given, voting day is always stressful – and the fact that alcohol can’t be purchased ’til 9 PM doesn’t help. Voting is a key right to exercise our democratic duty, and thus, we must partake in this event. What better way to celebrate the end of a stressful day than with a good, old-fashioned Old Fashion? Join the kids at Sheldon and enjoy an evening musicalized by Esnaola and special prices on cocktails that suit both your heart and your wallet’s desires.

MON 28.10

Are you dying to go vegetarian but genuinely believe that vegetables don’t taste as good as meat? A) You’re wrong, and B) I have the solution for you. The peeps at Salú Argentina: Food & Cooking Club have put together a delicious meal made entirely out of perfectly seasoned and combined vegetables that will turn even the most die-hard meat fan into a veggie lover. Add to that the carefully selected wine pairings courtesy of sommelier Eugenia Mena, plus the 20% off you can get with the code “MAMASALU,” and attending this event really is a no brainer. The only difficult part will be recreating such a grand affair when you’re alone on a Tuesday night, but that’s future you’s problem, so never mind.

TUE 29.10

Ah yes, next month’s salary is still far away in the distance, but we’re all already feeling how there’s a bit too much month left at the end of that paycheck, amirite? However, perhaps you feel like these warm spring evenings warrant a night out, or you have something special to celebrate, or you’ve had a rough day and want to pamper yourself a bit – whatever the case, Amalur Restaurante Vasco has got the ticket for you. Enjoy their three course meal in the beautiful Laurak Bat Basque Center without breaking the bank for AR$ 450 and let the wine help you pretend you’re not as broke as you are.

WED 30.10

Having bars celebrate their birthday is awesome because they may be getting older, but it’s you who’s getting the party. Join Isabel’s Bar on their 10 year anniversary for a delicious, custom menu and a different combination of musicians that will be popping in and out of the venue throughout the week. Today, let yourself be swayed by Felipe Zg’s and Maria Storni’s sweet, sweet tunes, as you grab a fancy drink, and let loose, my dude. Also, because of they’re anniversary, all food purchased before 9:30 is 50 (!!!) percent off, so no “but it’s the end of the month” excuses apply!

In the succinct words of one of my oldest friends, “To win, you must wine,” and that’s precisely what we’ll be doing tonight at Oslo. Enjoy over 30 wine labels from seven different bodegas and navigate the mysterious world that is wine tasting without getting drunk (don’t look at me, I have failed at this time and time again) for AR$ 600. Don’t forget to book your spot as space is limited!

When meals wanna get fancy, each dish tends to be paired with a special wine, but where does that leave us beer-lovers? Luckily, in the city where there’s a craft brewery on every corner, we have yet to be forgotten. This pop-up, courtesy of Diego Van der Saar and Cervecería Federal, is just the opportunity to meet like-minded fellows. Join ’em for an evening of six courses perfectly paired with six different beers, and revel in the glory that is these warm spring evenings with a cold one in hand.

Native porteña, Nicki Vera is a language enthusiast, avid reader, and loud and proud Harry Potter fan. Since she could hold a pen (4 years old, #overachiever) she has been carrying a notebook in her backpack, and you can often find her in obscure cafes doodling in the margins in a constant battle against writers block.